Key points

In week 45, SARS-CoV-2 circulation intensified in metropolitan France, and the upward trend in new hospitalizations was confirmed.

• Metropolitan France:

  • Incidence rate* rising in all age groups and regions

  • Screening rate* rising sharply among children with the return to school after the holidays

  • New hospital admissions stable or increasing in all regions

• Overseas France:

  • Worrying situation on Réunion Island with a sharp increase in the incidence rate

  • Lower SARS-CoV-2 circulation and improved hospital indicators in French Guiana

Variants

• Delta variant identified in nearly 100% of sequenced samples in the latest Flash Survey (October 25–29, 2021)

Contact tracing

• With the end of the school holidays, a higher number of cases attending school and a lower number of cases traveling outside their region of residence

• Shorter delay between first clinical signs and testing: 2.2 days following a substantial rise in week 44

Prevention

• CoviPrev Survey, Wave 29 (October 28–November 5): Higher proportion of unvaccinated people refusing to be tested if they have symptoms

• Vaccination as of November 16, 2021 (Covid Vaccine Data):

  • 76.9% of the French population had received at least one vaccine dose, and 75.2% were fully vaccinated

  • Among the population aged 65 and older, 29.1% had received a booster shot, representing 68.1% of eligible individuals in this age group

• Importance of combining measures: vaccination, including the booster shot for people over 65, adherence to contact tracing, and compliance with preventive measures